By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Backers of Hillary Clinton andBarack Obama toned down their rhetoric on Sunday for fear thatparty infighting might turn voters against Democrats anddeliver their votes into the hands of Republican John McCain.
All over the Sunday talk show circuit, journalists tried toget supporters for Clinton and Obama to attack the other side,but time and time again they would not take the bait and triedto stay on the high road.
But away from the television studios, campaign aidescontinued the aggressive back-and-forth that for several weekshas dominated the battle to win the Democratic Party'snomination for November's presidential election.
"What is Senator Clinton hiding, and what is lurking inthose documents that she believes voters don't have a right toknow?" Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs asked in a conference callwith reporters, referring to Clinton's tax returns and recordsof spending projects she has championed as a New York senator.
Those in Clinton's camp said Obama, an Illinois senator,turned to personal attacks whenever his campaign suffered asetback.
"This is a tried and true technique of the Obama campaignthat has repeatedly shifted 'negative' when they find momentumworking against them," strategist Mark Penn said on aconference call.
Clinton officials went on to say that Obama did not haveenough experience to be commander in chief and called on him torelease all tax returns and other documents since taking officein the Illinois legislature in 1997.
Both Democratic candidates took the day off on Sunday.
The man either of them will face in November, John McCain,was in Baghdad. With no Republican competition after he wonenough delegates for his party's nomination, the Arizonasenator was able to take trips such as this to bolster hisforeign policy credentials.
NEW TONE
Democrats had no such luxury.
They were still being questioned about remarks made byClinton supporter Geraldine Ferraro and Obama's pastor JeremiahWright that many considered inappropriate. Clinton and Obamahave disavowed the statements and their supporters wanted toavoid discussing the comments.
Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, an Obama supporter, told"Fox News Sunday" his candidate had repudiated Wright's remarksdamning America and "guilt by association here is somethingwe've got to stay away from in this country."
An effort to get Sen. Charles Schumer of New York to go onthe attack over the issue failed when he responded, "I agreewith Chris here. Look, each campaign is wide-ranging.Supporters are all over the place."
Dodd returned the favour after Schumer was asked to explainFerraro's comments that were considered racially insensitive.Schumer said the remarks were wrong and she had left thecampaign, and Dodd agreed.
Democrats still have more than five weeks until their nextnominating event in Pennsylvania on April 22, so theunpredictable campaign could take many more twists and turns.
Nine more contests follow but after those it is stillimpossible for either Obama or Clinton to have enough pledgeddelegates to be nominated at the party's convention in August.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has been neutral so far,said on ABC's "This Week" that the Democratic Party could behurt if leaders do not abide by the results of state primarycontests when they pick a candidate.
Former President Bill Clinton said he thought Democratswere torn between his wife and Obama and, eventually, voterswould settle the intraparty contest.
"I think we should just celebrate this," Clinton said in anpre-taped interview with ABC's "Good Morning America.
"If we just chill out here and let all the voters havetheir say, my gut is it's gonna come out all right."
Obama, who would become the first black U.S. president,claimed he picked up 10 more delegates in Iowa on Saturday toadd to his lead in pledged delegates, which now is around 150.
McCain, a former Navy pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam,was to meet Iraqi leaders and U.S. officials in Baghdad as partof what his campaign calls a non-political fact-finding missionfor the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Still, his meetings with leaders in the Middle East andFrance and Britain were certain to be used by his campaign tobolster his image as the man best ready to lead the UnitedStates and give the foreign leaders a chance to evaluate him.
(Additional reporting by David Wiessler, Jeff Mason andAndrew Stern; Editing by John O'Callaghan)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
